Linksys WRT54G drops Linux

avorobiev writes "WiFi Planet is running a story on all the advantages of Linux-based firmware for the Linksys WRT54G router. Little do they know that as of v.5 of the router Linksys dropped Linux and switched to VxWorks. And yes, they crippled the hardware (halved the RAM) so that third-party firmware can not be installed anymore."

Comments

Re:Understandable

[Eivind]

Depends -- Linksys could have gone the other direction and started delivering the more feature-rich OS-firmware by default (or as an option). This would allow them to sell what you call "a $600 router" for $60.

They are not the only router-manufacturer. It is offcourse true that Linksys would rather you buy an expensive router from then than a cheap one. But on the other hand it's also true they would rather you buy a cheap router from then than an expensive one from their competition.

Re:Understandable

[benjamindees]

Of course Linux was a win for Linksys. It's just that they were bought out by Cisco.

Linksys was in the hardware business, so Open Source was good for them. Cisco is in the "enterprise pixie dust" business, so Open Source is bad for them.

Overall, though, Open Source is good for users, which is all that really matters.

Re:Understandable

[alienw]

I don't think it's purposefully crippled. Nobody is going to buy a Linksys instead of a Cisco router; the reliability difference is obvious even for a home user. It's probably more the case of saving money. If VxWorks can run with half the RAM and half the Flash, that's considerable savings.

Not to mention, they don't have to deal with hacking Linux to work on their hardware, they can have an OS company deal with that. Sometimes, rolling your own just doesn't make much business sense.

Crippled?

[Urkki]

"And yes, they crippled the hardware (halved the RAM) so that third-party firmware can not be installed anymore."

Uh... Saving on components after replacing the OS with something that doesn't need as much memory is hardly "crippling". Hinting that they should have more RAM than they need is a bit... detached from harsh business reality.

Re:Crippled?

[Urkki]

It is stupid if it loses Linksys sales to competitors that have models with better specs for almost the same price or only marginally more expensive.

Indeed. But the question is, how many of their customers actually even realize that their router has some RAM and an operating system inside the physical device? If they sell 5 million units at $5 profit margin per unit, it's $1000000 better than selling 6 million units at $4 profit margin.

And in this specific case I do believe that the increased profit far outweighs any lost sales. Of course I'm not an economist, so that's just a gut feeling.

Re:Crippled?

[benjamindees]

One thing to think about though is that, without a supported OS, most hardware is essentially disposable. The only reason you can use your "old machine" as a firewall is that it is OS-neutral. Devices which rely on specialized operating systems don't get reused. They get thrown away.

Also, you didn't mention the difference in power requirements between small custom hardware and reused PCs. A couple of years of electric bills will pay for the entire box. And the power saved will pay for the difference in hardware requirements several times over.

There is definitely a place for customized hardware running a generic OS like Linux. And there is incentive for both manufacturers and users to produce and demand such devices.